


EdLing Week 2k19

by Cornerverse



Series: Shenanigans and Side Stories [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Monster!AU, Stargazing, Swearing, Tags to be added for each chapter, Themed week prompts, Time Travel, a lot of fluff, atla!AU, minimal angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-12 09:11:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19226098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerverse/pseuds/Cornerverse
Summary: It's EdLing Week 2k19 baby! Time for a bunch of short(HA) fics about these dorks.Some chapters take place in the universes of my other fics, and some take place in very specific AUs. I'll mention any necessary information in the Author's Notes.





	1. Day 1: Pining/Fears/Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter happens in the universe of my other fic, 'Shnanigan and a Half', which is a Modern AU. This takes place before they got together though.

                Ed was staring. He was very aware that he was staring. He was also aware that he should stop staring.

                But, well, when your crush is shirtless and soaked, it’s kind of hard not to stare.

                Oh no. He’d been staring too long. Now Ling was swimming over to him.

                “Hey, are you okay?” Ling asked.

                “Fine,” Ed answered. “Just, you know, enjoying the water and all.”

                “You sure?” he asked. “Because you’re not really swimming around or anything.”

                “It’s kinda hard to swim without a leg,” he replied.

                “Seems like Paninya’s figured something out,” he said.

                Ed glanced over to the other end of the pool. Paninya was mostly just floating along, with her arm interlocked with Winry’s and just kind of letting her pull her around.

                That just made Ed sink lower into the pool. Okay, maybe something was wrong. He just couldn’t figure out what.

                It wasn’t really the leg. He could swim without it fine. Automail was decently waterproof, to the point where showering or short-term submersion would be fine as long as it was dried properly afterward. But long-term submersion, like swimming in a pool, was a bad idea. Not to mention it was pretty heavy and not at all buoyant.

                So why was he still just uncomfortable and sitting on the steps?

                “Is something else going on?” Ling asked.

                Ed went to reply, but got flustered by how close Ling was. Damn it! Why did he have to be so pretty and all concerned about him?

                “Are you… I’m not sure how to ask this,” Ling began. “Are you feeling, you know, self conscious or something?”

                “I-what?” Ed tried to puzzle that out.

                “It’s just that you keep moving to cover the scar on your arm,” he said, “so I figured that might be it.”

                Ed clenched his shoulder tighter as he realized that Ling might be right. Which was odd. He hadn’t been self conscious of his scars or the missing leg in a while. Definitely not since he started High School. Why would he care about what random people thought of him?

                Oh. That was probably it. It wasn’t ‘random people’. It was a bunch of new friends including the guy he currently had a crush on. A guy who was very much not covered in scars and honestly looked very good shirtless.

                And now that he was thinking about that, Ed noticed exactly how close Ling was to him. It took every ounce of self control to not just lean in and kiss his dumb face. He might’ve gone for that stupid idea had he not been splashed by a well-timed cannon ball. Thank you, Lan Fan.

                “Sorry,” Ling said. “If you wanted to, I don’t know, swim with a shirt on or something...”

                “Oh, no it’s fine,” Ed said. “I’m fine. It’s not a problem.”

                “If you’re sure,” he said. “Think you’re up for actually swimming and not just sitting on the steps?”

                “Yeah, sure,” he agreed, trying to shrug off the irrational fear. 

                When Ling grabbed his hand and pulled him off the steps, Ed felt like he was melting.


	2. Day 2: Greed/Myths/Modern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used the 'Myths' prompt as a flimsy excuse to write something from the Monster!AU. As this is a sort-of-established AU, context is needed: 
> 
> AU where everyone is some sort of Magic Creature. Ling, Greed, and Lust are all Vampires(Greed and Lust are also friendly to the main cast). Ed is a Dragon(You can do the math on the other character appearing in the fic.) Dragons have three forms; Human Disguise, full Dragon, and 'Midform' which is 'Human with Draconic features'. Story-wise, Ed had previously gone missing and had his own adventures while everyone else is trying to find him. 
> 
> Oh, and it's not really relevant here, but Ed and Ling are slightly bumped up in age for this AU. 
> 
> Okay, that's it. Here we go!

                Ling was worried. He’d been worried for a while, ever since Ed disappeared. But now he was too exhausted to really keep himself together. Greed and Lust had tried to help with that, though right now they’d lapsed into their own conversation.

                He tried to tell himself it was fine. Ed was fine. If he got into trouble he could easily handle whatever he was up against. He was too stubborn to get seriously hurt. 

                And they’d find him soon. They’d heard rumors of a Dragon being sighted in the area. There wasn’t much description other than ‘it flew past here yesterday’, but considering how rare Dragons were, it had to be him.

                Feeling another wave of tired, he let out a yawn. Ling knew he couldn’t keep going all night like this. His companions might have the energy, but he was very quickly running out.

                Just as Ling was beginning to suggest stopping for the night, something tackled him from behind.

                Rolling with the momentum, Ling tried to fight off the attack. He hoped he could handle it quickly. Oddly, despite the surprise of it all, his attacker did not fight back.

                It was relatively easy to pin him down. Only then did Ling take notice of such a familiar face grinning up at him.

                “What the fuck,” Ling demanded, somewhat breathless as the adrenaline left him.

                “Is that any way to greet me?” Ed teased, leaning up to kiss him.

                “Yes it is!” Lust answered. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

                “I was out flying,” he said. “Smelled you guys from a mile away.”

                “I think he means your perfume is a bit much,” Greed said.

                As usual, she responded by flipping him off. He returned the gesture, sticking out his tongue as well for good measure. Ling was used to this, and only rolled his eyes.

                “Stop bickering and say hello you jerks,” Ed laughed. “Or get down here and join the group hug.”

                “Yeah, no,” Greed said. “You’re not getting me on the ground.”

                “You’re forgetting something,” Ling said. “Again.”

                Greed had enough time to register the tail around his ankle before Ed pulled him off balance. While he let out a string of swears, the rest of the group laughed.

                “Don’t even think of trying that on me again,” Lust said, kneeling down with them. “Just glad you’re okay, kid.”

                “Yeah yeah,” Greed groaned, sitting up a little. “Where’ve you been anyway?”

                “What happened?” Ling asked.

                “A lot,” Ed sighed. “Where do I even begin?”

                “Perhaps, you should begin with an introduction?”

                Ling jumped at the new voice. Looking up, he found a pair of white-scaled claws. He then continued to look up, and eventually was looking at the face of a very large Dragon. How it had landed without any of them noticing, he had no idea.

                “So, uh,” Ed began. “I kinda found my dad?”

* * *

                This was very strange to Ling. Well, he was used to most of the group, but he had no idea what to make of Hohenheim. The Dragon was strange in several ways. And while Ed had said little about him before, it was always said with anger and annoyance. But, well, Ed explained that a lot had happened, and he was ‘less of an asshole than I thought’.

                Ling decided to trust him on that instead of thinking about it too much. He was just happy to have Ed back and safe.

                Speaking of, Ed was hesitant to let go of Ling for the moment. Not that Ling minded, really. As long as Ed remembered to not accidentally trip him with his tail.

                No, Ling could do that well enough on his own. A wave of dizziness hit him, and suddenly things were doubly spinning as he fell.

                “Are you okay?” Ed asked, helping him up.

                “He’s fine,” Greed answered. “Just stubborn.”

                There was a moment of confusion, then Ed seemed to understand what he meant. He frowned at Ling, giving him a stare that let him know exactly what was coming.

                “When was the last time you had a drink?” Ed asked.

                “A- A while,” Ling answered, avoiding eye contact best he could.

                “A while,” he repeated. “Please tell me you mean sometime more recently than the last time you drank from me.”

                Ling didn’t answer. Though that said plenty on it’s own.

                “You know you need to,” Ed sighed.

                “I know,” Ling muttered. “I just...”

                “Whatever,” he said. “I’m here now. We can stop for a moment and-”

                “Let’s wait on it,” he said.

                “Ling, you know you need this,” he frowned.

                “I… I know,” he sighed. “But if we do it now, then the only thing that changes is that you’re the one all tired and falling over.”

                Ed huffed and pouted for a moment, but seemed to agree that he had a point. Then, he got an idea. And burst into flame.

                While he knew that Ed’s fire only burned when he wanted it to, Ling still flinched from the bright heat.

                Ling had gotten used to the Midform, but he rarely saw Ed as a full dragon. Only time he had seen it was when Ed had bragged that he ‘wasn’t small because of this’. That might be reconsidered now, since Ed was only the size of a small horse while Hohenheim’s Dragon Form was, well, the size one expected Dragons to be. Then again, considering how tall Hohenheim was in Midform, Ed still had some growing to do.

                “Get on,” Ed said.

                “What?” Ling stared at him.

                “I said get on,” he said. “If you’re not going to drink now, then I can at least keep you from falling over again.”

                Ling loved him, but Ed could be very stubborn and protective when he wants to be. Resigning himself to his fate, Ling stepped up and climbed on, sitting just behind Ed’s wings. He was kind of glad that instead of the spines typically depicted on a Dragon, Ed instead had a line of fur down his back.

                “What, don’t I get a ride too?” Greed joked.

                “Tell you what,” Ed retorted. “Once we get home, maybe Al will give you ride if you ask nicely.”

                Greed started to say something. He then looked over to Hohenheim, considered his options, and decided it was probably best to keep his mouth shut.

                “Wait a minute,” Lust cut in. “We have a large Dragon that can fit all of us. Why not just fly into town?”

                “Because I am not a taxi service,” Hohenheim sighed. “Furthermore, you do realize that a Dragon landing in the middle of town would cause people to freak the fuck out?”

                As she shrugged at the answer, the group started moving again. It wasn’t the smoothest ride Ling had been on, but it wasn’t the worst either.

                Soon, Ling found himself nodding off.


	3. Day 3: War/Reunion/Royalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally something from canon-verse! Or at least the EHSA AU, which is as close to Canon as I get. 
> 
> While this mostly doesn't need any context, I will say that I headcanon Ed as Genderqueer and that explains some of the wording later.

                Ed felt like there were some times where everything seemed to really hit him. At least this time it was metaphorically. But still. Laying here with Ling, awake but yet unwilling to get up, it got his mind going.

                It’s not like he wasn’t aware of this revelation. Especially as it’s one he’s had a few times before. It was just that, to him, Ling was just his dork of a boyfriend. After all they’d been through, it sometimes slipped his mind that he was also Emperor of an entire goddamn country.

                “Hey, I was wondering something,” Ed began. “If we got married-”

                “Proposing already?” Ling teased.

                “N-no!” he stammered. “Not that I don’t- I mean- uh- theoretically that’d be nice but I don’t think-”

                “I get it,” he said, pulling Ed closer against him. “As much as I’d like that, I don’t think we’re ready yet.”

                Oh boy. That was a bundle of emotions he’d have to sort out later. For now, Ed swallowed that down to refocus on his original question.

                “What I was asking though,” Ed said, “If we get married, what does that make me?”

                “Other than my husband?” Ling wondered, his face turning a bit red at the thought.

                “Well, yeah,” he said. “I meant that since you’re, you know, Emperor of an entire country and all, would marrying you give me any sort of fancy title?”

                “You know, I’m actually not sure about that,” he said. “After all, it used to be that the Emperor had fifty wives.”

                “One husband must be such a downgrade,” he deadpanned.

                “To some people maybe,” he said. “I bet we can find a title for you. It couldn’t be worse than what some of the people around here call you.”

                “What they call me?” he parroted. “What weird insults have they come up now? I don’t think they can top Mei’s “Dreamcrusher” nickname. Or any insult Al can come up with.”

                “You’re right about that,” he said. “But some people think you’re a ‘reincarnation’ of the Sage from the West.”

                “Okay, you ruined it,” he said, pushing away and rolling over.

                “I’m serious!” he laughed. “What did you expect? Looking like you do and researching Alkahestry! I’ve tried explaining it, but no one believes me!”

                “That is the last thing I want to be known for!” he groaned.

                Ed scooted away from him, still pouting. Of course Ling followed with that dumb grin of his. He was pulled back in, and had a kiss pressed to his cheek.

                “I’m joking,” Ling said. “I’m sure we could find you a fantastic royal title.”

                “Yeah yeah,” Ed rolled his eyes, melting back into him. “You know I don’t need a fancy title though. I just wanted to know if I’d get one.”

                “See, now I kinda want you to have one,” he replied. “We could go without making a big deal out of it. Say you’re also Emperor, as you’re married to me. Or would you prefer to be Empress?”

                “Makes me sound responsible,” he laughed. “I think I’d be a disaster at helping you run this place.”

                “I love you, but you’re right,” he said. “You’re a little too blunt for foreign negotiations.”

                “I’d end up telling an ambassador to fuck off and start a war,” he said.

                “How about ‘Emperor Consort?” he suggested, kissing him lightly with each suggestion. “Or some sort of Lord. Or Lady, if you prefer. Perhaps something simple. Prince? Or Princess?”

                “Bet you’d love that one,” he said, squirming as Ling kissed a ticklish spot. “You’d turn your old nickname back on me, since you’ve upgraded to ‘Idiot Emperor’.”

                “Perhaps,” he said. “Only when you stay up way too late reading.”

                “That’s fair,” he sighed. “We should probably work on getting up.”

                “You’re right about that one,” he said. “If I’m late to another meeting Lan Fan will murder me and put Mei in charge. I think the inevitable regicide is worth a few more minutes here with you.”

                “Speak for yourself,” he replied. “She’ll kill me first because it’s ‘my fault’!”

                “And here I thought you were a risk taker,” he laughed.

                Ed was about to reply, but he decided that he could probably tempt death at least once more. It was worth it to be here.


	4. Day 4: Sun/Moon/Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one from Canon/the EHSA AU! 
> 
> So, slight note that this Universe has an EdLing/EdWin polyship, and that's mentioned in passing here. This scene takes place about 10-ish years post-Canon.

                While it had been years since the last assassination attempt, Ling still sometimes jumped when the doors opened without warning. He looked up, expecting some sort of late night visitor. Yet it seemed like no one was there.

                Frowning, he peeked over the edge of his desk, and found a pair of golden eyes looking up at him.

                “Hey there, sunshine,” Ling smiled. “What are you doing up this late?”

                “Had a nightmare,” Yang answered. “Sorry Papa. I know I’m not supposed to bother you while you’re working, but Mom and Dad are asleep.”

                That caught him off guard. It must be really late if both of them were in bed, much less actually sleeping. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was, in fact, very late.

                “Are you okay?” Ling asked, turning his attention back to her.

                “I don’t wanna go back to sleep,” Yang said.

                Giving a soft smile, he walked around the desk to pick her up. He brushed a few strands of dark hair out of her face as she clung to him. It might be best to distract her.

                “You’re getting pretty big, you know,” Ling mused. “One of these days I’m not going to be able to pick you up!”

                “That’s a lie,” Yang giggled. “You can still pick Dad up!”

                “You never know,” he said. “After all, I’m taller than him, but I was once the same size you are. You could end up taller than him!”

                While she stared in amazement at the idea, Ling had to snicker to himself. Ed wasn’t called short very often anymore, due to most of those who used to tease him about it being shorter than him now. Ling had to wonder how he’d react if any of their kids managed to outgrow him.

                “Do you want to talk about your nightmare?” Ling asked.

                “Something was chasing me,” Yang answered.

                “What was it?” he wondered.

                “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I was too scared to turn around.”

                “Don’t worry,” he said. “Nightmares can’t hurt you.”

                “I still don’t want to sleep,” she said. “Can you tell me a story?”

                He looked around, stalling time as he thought of which story to tell. For some reason, as soon as he was put on the spot his knowledge of bedtime stories went right out the window.

                Although, that did give him a different idea.

                Ling walked to the large window, opening it to let in the summer breeze. Luckily Yang wasn’t afraid of heights. More the opposite, as she loved to climb. They had to ban her from doing anything too dangerous. But the moon was full and the stars were bright, which was all that mattered. 

                “Do you know any constellations?” Ling asked.

                "Some,” Yang nodded, pointing to the stars. “That one’s Leo, I think. And that one’s the Swan.”

                “I think you’re right,” he said. “But those are Amestrian constellations. Here in Xing, we have different ones.”

                “Why do you have different ones if it’s the same sky?” she wondered.

                “Well,” he began, “since our countries are so far apart, we really didn’t talk much years ago, and we developed our own system. You know how we have our own language too.”

                “Oh, that makes sense,” she nodded. “So what are the constellations here?”

                Ling shifted his weight, supporting her on his left so he could gesture and point with his right hand.

                “We have four ‘Guardians’,” Ling explained. “Each corresponds to a direction, season, and one of the five Elements.”

                “If there’s five Elements, shouldn’t there be five Guardians?” Yang asked.

                “I’ll get there in a minute,” he said. “First is the Azure Dragon of the East, which represents Wood and Spring. Then the Red Bird of the south, representing Summer and Fire. In the West, there’s the White Tiger of Autumn and Metal. The fourth is the Black Tortoise. Can you guess what that one is?

                “North, Winter, and Water?” she guessed.

                “Yep!” he said. “Good job.”

                “What about the fifth Element?” she asked.

                “Yes, that one,” he said. “In the center of them all is the Yellow Dragon, representing Earth.”

                “Why are there two Dragons?” she wondered with a yawn.

                “Not sure,” he admitted. “Do you remember the Dragon’s Pulse thing we taught you?”

                “Yeah,” she nodded.

                “It’s the same ‘Dragon’,” he said. “It’s Energy flowing through the Earth, and through all of us.”

                Yang only hummed in response. He waited for her to ask another question. After a minute of silence went by, he realized she’d already fallen back to sleep.

                Doing his best not to jostle her too much, he closed the window and went back to the desk. He took a few moments to clean up a little, getting his papers in order so he could continue tomorrow. After all, he should really be sleeping too.

                Just as he was finishing up, he heard footsteps in the hall. Familiar footsteps caused by one Automail leg. This time he wasn’t surprised when the door flew open.

                “Ling have you seen-” Ed began.

                “Shh!” Ling hushed him.

                He calmed down seeing Yang in his arms. Giving a sigh of relief, he leaned against Ling’s other side.

                “I just got her back to sleep,” Ling said. “Apparently she had a nightmare.”

                “You are good at calming people down after nightmares,” Ed said. “Scared me when I went to check on the kids and she wasn’t there.”

                “I’m sure,” he said. “Considering how much trouble you got into as a kid, I bet you imagined plenty of mischief she could be up to.”

                “How much trouble I got into?!” he exclaimed in mock offense. “Need I remind you that she inherited your climbing habit? Just the other month she gave Elicia a heart attack during hide and seek because she couldn’t find her on top of the fridge! Poor kid almost had a breakdown over being ‘the worst babysitter ever’!”

                “I’ll remember that next time I catch Aydan reading after bedtime,” he replied.

                “Considering what time it is now, you can’t lecture me about that,” he retorted.

                “True,” he laughed. “Come on. Let’s get sunshine here back in bed. Then I’ll finally quit for the night.”

                “Good,” he said, pulling him down into a kiss. “Your bed’s too big and empty without you. Literally. We could comfortably fit ten people in that thing if we tried.”

                Ling laughed, kissing him again as they walked down the halls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, fun fact. I actually did go and design a handful of nextgen kids. I'm going to try and not post that until after the week is over though because I don't want it to get mixed in with everything. But who knows if my self control will last that long. 
> 
> Fun fact #2: I went down the rabbit hole of Chinese constellations for this.


	5. Day 5: Pride/Love/(Found) Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another for the EHSA AU! 
> 
> This takes place, like, immediately after the Promised Day. Al just got his body back and everyone's still in the hospital recovering.

                Ling jumped through the window, expecting to say hello to Ed first thing. However, the hospital room was oddly empty. Only one in the room was Alphonse, as he couldn’t really go anywhere yet.

                “Hey there!” Ling greeted. “Where’s everyone else?”

                “They had to go eat,” Al answered. “They said they’d bring me something back, but, you know. Kinda hard to eat when your body’s been doing nothing for the past five years.”

                “Makes sense,” he said.

                “Where’s your usual entourage?” he wondered.

                “You know I have a habit of running off on my own,” he replied. “It’s a chance for a bonding exercise! Get them to try and kill me instead of each other!”

                That got a laugh out of him. Ling had to admit, it was strange to see the real Al. He’d gotten used to that voice coming out of a suit of armor. He was happy the boy had his real body back, of course. He just had to get used to it.

                “Actually, I’m glad you’re here now,” Al said. “I needed to talk to you about something.”

                “About what?” Ling wondered.

                “About you and Ed,” he shrugged. “Just the standard thing. The ‘if you’re a jerk to him I will not hesitate to murder you’ thing.”

                “Oh,” he said. “Right. Understandable. You want to go for a long and detailed threat, or is that a threat enough?”

                “Not sure,” he said. “I probably don’t seem intimidating right now, but well, once I get back up to strength I can kick your ass if needed.”

                While Ling agreed that Al shouldn’t seem intimidating, he still felt fear creep into him. It was in the expression he made. Some would call it a cold stare, but it was anything but ‘cold’. It was the spark of the potential inferno.

                “Message received,” Ling swallowed. “Besides, I wouldn’t do that to him.”

                “I believe you,” Al said, relaxing into the bed. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you since you’ll probably have to hear a lot of threats later.”

                “What?” he asked.

                “I doubt I’m the only one who’s gonna say something,” he said with an almost devilish grin.

                Oh.

                That was an entirely different sense of dread.

                Ling knew that Ed had many friends. Friends he would probably call family if he wasn’t such a stubborn idiot sometimes.

                And Ling was just now realizing how terrifying some of them were. Most of them were in the Military, and had likely killed a man before. The ones that weren’t Military were still terrifying in their own right. Like the woman who seemed like she could pick him up and throw him through a wall.

                Actually, that applied to most women he knew. Which only served to prove his point.

                On the bright side, while Ling was now dreading the future threatening conversations, at least he knew they’d never have to go through with said threats. He would never do something to make that necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen if I had the time and energy I would've loved to make this a lot longer involving everyone giving Ling some shovel talk about dating Ed. Just know that Mustang and Team absolutely do some minor kidnapping and interrogation.


	6. Day 6: Crossover/Fanwork of Fanwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crossover? Time to actually do something with that ATLA AU I keep joking about!! Context for the AU is a little long but you know how it goes. 
> 
> Context: In terms of story, this AU is 'Canon Parallel', being basically 'fma's plot but if it happened in the ATLA Universe'. Ed is kind of the Avatar. He's mastered Earth and Fire and is having a lot of trouble with Airbending. Ling, on the other hand, is an Airbender, though due to his 'family situation' he's been raised away from Airbender culture and is mostly self-taught. 
> 
> Most of the context needed is surrounding what's up with Al though. Basically Al got stuck in the Spirit World, but because of a lot of bullshitting that would take too long to explain here (Long story short: Blame the Cryptid.), not only can he astral project back to the real world, but he breaks some rules so everyone can hear him and he still has access to his bending. Since very few people can actually see Spirits, he moves the armor around so people aren't talking to thin air.

                “Aren’t you supposed to be training?” Winry asked.

                “I’m on break,” Ed replied. “I do have to eat, you know.”

                “Well, yeah,” she said. “But why are you leaving?”

                “Because I fucking can?” he answered.

                “He’s going to see his boyfriend,” Al answered from the couch.

                “His WHAT?!” Winry shouted.

                “I don’t have a boyfriend!” Ed shouted as well.

                “So you’re telling me you don’t have a crush on Ling?” Al asked, giving him a deadpan stare.

                “What- no! I- I don’t...” he stammered.

                Except…. Oh. Okay. Yeah. That was a thing. That explained a lot actually.

                “Did you not know?” Al asked.

                “Kinda?” Ed admitted. “Look, I’ve had a lot on my mind trying to figure out Airbending, and the whole point of hanging out with him is not thinking about all of this!”

                He regretted that as soon as he said it. He knew how important mastering his abilities were. Especially how important it was for Al. But he was so tired and frustrated with the fact that he couldn’t make any progress with Airbending. And no amount of meditating was helping.

                “I’m going,” Ed said. “I’ll- I’ll be back later.”

                He quickly made his way out before they could call him back.

* * *

                “What was up with that food cart?” Ling asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one catch fire!”

                “Yeah, me neither,” Ed chuckled nervously.

                He knew exactly what happened. While bending was always somewhat tied to emotions, it was very true in Ed’s case. When Ling had taken his hand, he couldn’t help it. The food cart just sort of burst. The fire might’ve been contained pretty quickly, didn’t do much damage past giving the cart owner a scare, but he still felt guilty.

                Ed had dragged Ling away as soon as it happened, practically running to the edge of town. He didn’t want him putting it together. As far as Ling knew, Ed was an Earthbender. Just an Earthbender. He wanted to keep it that way. And his nerves causing frost to creep across the ground as they walked was not helping!

                “Well, at least it happened after we bought dinner,” Ling shrugged.

                “There’s that,” he admitted.

                “Are you okay?” he asked. “You seem off today.”

                “Yeah, fine,” he said. “Just- just glad I could come out today, you know?”

                “Did something happen?” he wondered.

                “No, nothing big,” he assured. “I just… there’s a lot on my mind.”

                There was always a lot on his mind. A lot of stress from so many directions. But right now, a chunk of what was bothering him was right here and now. Damn it! Why did Al have to point out the crush?

                There was a sudden gust of wind. Not enough to push him over, but at just the right angle to make his braid whip around to smack his face. Thoroughly pulled out of his thoughts, he glared at Ling, who only grinned back.

                “What was that for?” Ed demanded.

                “You looked distracted,”Ling answered. “Seemed like you didn’t want to be thinking about whatever you were thinking about.

                “And by that, you mean I wasn’t paying enough attention to you?” he wondered.

                “Exactly!” he laughed.

                There was enough of a breeze still going to make Ling’s hair look majestic in the wind. Damn him for making Ed use words like ‘majestic’. Also damn this crush because Ed could quickly feel his face heating up as he stared.

                Which was something Ling didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he was laughing at Ed’s reaction.

                Wait. Was he- was he flirting? Nope. Not possible. Ed was just imagining things because of his crush. And from the way that made him feel, he knew his face wouldn't be the only thing on fire soon.

                In a bout of flustered panic, Ed used his Earthbending to launch Ling into the air. He wasn’t too worried about Ling, as the guy could easily cushion his fall. Ed just wanted a few seconds to cool down.

                That didn’t work. Because Ling decided he had to land right in Ed’s personal space. Suddenly the whole thing was worse than before.

                “Have I ever told you how fun it is to make you all red like that?” Ling grinned.

                “Glad to entertain you,” Ed muttered.

                “You know this isn’t about entertainment, right?” he asked. “From how jumpy you’ve been today, I’d guess you’re starting to catch on.”

                Oh. Okay. That’s… He was flirting? Ed was unsure how to feel about that. Which was ridiculous. You’re supposed to be happy when your crush returns your feelings. But it was everything else that terrified him.

                “There’s… there’s so many things I want to tell you,” Ling said.

                He took Ed’s face in his hands, pulling them even closer. Less than an inch apart now. Ed’s heart was racing and he felt terrified. Still, he didn’t regret when he grabbed the front of Ling’s shirt and dragged him down into a kiss.

                He expected it to be more of an explosion, both figuratively and literally. Instead, Ed felt like he was dissolving. In that moment, there was nothing. No stress, no fear, no guilt or responsibility. Just them, and how they felt. And that feeling was so light and fluttery, it made him feel like he was floating.

                They parted for a moment, breathing heavy still. Only then did Ed realize that they actually were floating. A small whirlwind had them hovering about a foot off the ground.

                That was when he noticed the confusion on Ling’s face. Because it wasn’t him causing this. Terror ran through him and they were dropped to the ground.

                Ed tried to find his words, wondering how he could deflect this, explain it in any other way than the truth. But he saw the Ling’s expression, putting the pieces to together. Realization plain on his face.

                “I-I’m sorry,” Ed stammered. “I just- I didn’t- I can’t-”

                Panic set in, his heart pounding now. He couldn’t breathe. All he could think to do was scramble back and run.

                “Hey! Wait!” Ling exclaimed, grabbing Ed’s arm.

                “Let me go!” Ed shouted. “Just- just stay away!”

                “Please,” he insisted. “Ed, it’s okay. It’s-”

                “Let me go!” he repeated.

                With that shout, Ed managed to wrench his arm free of Ling’s grip. He lost balance, shooting a wave of flame as he fell.

                Thankfully it only caught Ling’s sleeve instead of him, but Ed froze, imagining what could’ve happened. If Ling hadn’t already put the pieces together, then he definitely would now.

                He ran as fast as he could, ignoring as Ling tried to call him back.

* * *

                Ling was still very confused.

                Well, no. He understood most things about the situation. He was more worried and concerned about the whole thing.

                At least a few things made sense now. Like why Ed never told him where he was staying. Which was a problem, as he couldn’t even check on him. Ask if he was okay. His only chance was happening to run into him in town like he had the day they met.

                Speaking of…. Ling spotted a certain suit of armor walking by.

                “Hey! Al!” Ling greeted.

                “Oh, hey,” Al responded, turning to face him. “Where’s-?

                “Is Ed okay?” he asked. “I mean, after last night I just-”

                “Wait a minute!” he cut him off. “Ed… never came back home last night. I was just hoping your date went really well. What happened?”

                Ling paused, suddenly becoming a hell of a lot more concerned. For the moment, he focused on trying to figure out how to explain it.

                “So...” Ling began, “Did you know your brother is the Avatar or….?”

                “Oh no,” Al sighed. “Okay, you know about that. That’s bad, but it explains it a little bit. How the hell did you find out?”

                “Well, I kinda kissed him?” he offered. “Guess he liked it because he kinda reacted by Airbending so-”

                “Wait, what?!” he exclaimed. “What do you mean he reacted by Airbending?!”

                “I thought you said you already knew about the Avatar thing?” he wondered.

                “That, yeah,” he said. “But Ed hasn’t been able to Airbend yet. He’s been having a lot of trouble with it, actually.”

                “Oh,” he said. “Must’ve been a hell of a kiss?”

                “I guess,” he said. “Although that just made me jump immediately to a different question that I don’t want an answer to.”

                “Well then,” he said. “Maybe I can help by changing the subject? Like, since I already learned that secret, maybe you can spill about whatever’s up with you being some sort of Spirit?”

                While the armor didn’t move, Ling had a feeling that Al was looking at him. Probably making some dumbstruck, wide-eyed expression.

                “How…?” Al asked.

                “Airbender,” Ling shrugged. “I can feel the air currents. The armor’s empty and your voice doesn’t seem to come from an actual mouth.”

                “Oh,” he replied.

                “So, what’s up with that, anyway?” he wondered. “How does a guy get a Spirit for a brother? Are one of you adopted or was it some odd family situation?”

                “No, it’s… it’s a long story,” he sighed. “Look, I’ll explain on the way, but right now we should focus on finding Ed.”

                “Right, yeah,” he said. “Let’s work on that.”

* * *

( **Author’s Note:** Look at me putting an Author’s Note in the middle like this is the early 2000s. Anyway, as this is a snippet from a full AU, the scene here would’ve been very plot heavy. Since this is part of EdLing Week though, I’m cutting it out to keep focus and skipping to the next scene.

Some context is needed so here’s a summary of the scene: Al and Ling find Ed, and he’s been in Breakdown Mode™ most of the night. They calm him down, but he ends up passing out. While carrying Ed back through town to take him home, they get confronted by a bunch of guards. Realizing they can’t really fight their way out right now, they decide to go with them.)

* * *

                When Ed woke up, he had no clue where he was. His first impression was a jail cell? Stone walls, iron bars, his hands bound in front of him as he lay on a hard wooden bench. Yeah, that sounds like a jail cell.

                “Are you up?”

                Ed jumped at a voice. Looking around a bit more, he found Ling standing against one wall, his hands also tied. He also noticed Al’s armor sitting in the corner, but Al was nowhere to be seen.

                “Y-yeah,” Ed answered, shakily sitting up. “Where’s- I mean- do you know about-?”

                “Al went to get help,” Ling said, sitting down beside him. “Confused the hell out of the guards when they found out.”

                “I bet,” he said, giving a half-hearted chuckle. “Probably like ‘we don’t get paid enough for this’.”

                “Exactly,” he said. “How much… how much do you remember about last night? And this morning?”

                “It’s fuzzy,” he answered. “I remember running. Then kinda… having a breakdown. Not sure how long that was. Then you and Al found me, and I thought I saw-”

                He shook his head. That was probably just a hallucination from his breakdown. Or a dream from after he passed out. Maybe even some Avatar Bullshit™. He’d have to figure that out later. Right now there were more pressing matters.

                “So, how and why are we in jail?” Ed asked.

                “Uh, well,” Ling said, not meeting his eyes. “You weren’t the only one hiding something about who you are? I’m kind of Nobility and my dad’s an asshole? Well, I say ‘my dad’, but I’m pretty sure I’ve only spent about an hour with the man ever. Not the point.”

                “The fuck do you mean ‘Nobility’?” he demanded.

                “I think the fact that this is technically my basement should answer that,” he said.

                “Okay,” he said. “Nobility enough for a goddamn dungeon. Great. That still doesn’t answer why we’re down here.”

                “As I said, my dad’s an asshole,” he shrugged. “He wants you- rather, he wants the Avatar, for something or other. I don’t know what the full plan is, but I think it has something to do with potential Immortality through the Spirit World?”

                “That’s… kind of ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes.

                “Yeah, it is,” he said, cracking a smile. “But it’s his plan. And I- part of the plan involves me and a bunch of half-siblings. He made an offer. Whichever one brings the Avatar for him is named as his heir. I never- I mean, I didn’t want to do that anyway. And especially when I met you- I just- When I figured out you were the Avatar my first thought was just ‘guess I’m not going home’.”

                “I believe you,” he said. “You wouldn’t be down here if you’d turned me in. But what do you mean about not going home?”

                Ling moved, trying to touch Ed’s face again. But Ed flinched, backing up on the bench a little. He hated the way that action made Ling almost deflate.

                “I just...” Ling sighed. “I’m not sure if you still feel the same. Everything I felt leading up to that kiss, that’s still there. And I’m sorry. For all of this. But I didn’t want this to change things for us.”

                Ed felt, well, he felt a lot of things. Most of them conflicting with one another. But overall, he did decided something.

                First things first though, he figured he should get untied. Feeling his pocket, he was thankful he remembered to grab the knife last night.

                “How’d the guards not take that?” Ling wondered.

                “Please,” Ed scoffed, difficultly cutting at the ropes on his wrists. “Who in their right mind searches any kind of Bender for weapons? Much less the freaking Avatar. Even then, who leaves two Benders just with their hands tied? Your ‘guards’ need some desperate training.”

                Ling hummed in agreement at that. After Ed managed to cut his own bonds, he made quick work of the ropes on Ling. Giving him a minute to regain feeling in his fingertips, Ed took his hand.

                “I-I’m sorry,” Ed said. “I didn’t… I didn’t want to change things either. When I kissed you yesterday, I meant that. And I think part of me knew I’d have to tell you everything if I did.”

                “I guess some things have to change,” Ling said. “Just not the things we thought. If you want, I’d love to stay with you.”

                “Think I’d like that too,” he said.

                After a moments hesitation, he kissed him again. While it didn’t cause as much of a whirlwind as last time, there was still a strong breeze coming through the cell.

                “I really need to get that under control,” Ed muttered.

                “Well, you know,” Ling said. “Practice makes perfect.”

                “Right,” he nodded, turning very red. “First things first, let’s get out of here.”

                “Not like we can do much else before the rescue party gets here,” he said.

                Ed gave him a look, both amused and exasperated. Getting up, he grabbed the bars to the cell. Some quick Metalbending later, and the bars were a crumpled mess.

                “Oh,” Ling said. “Forgot about that.”

                “Honestly,” Ed huffed. “Your guards really need to up their game. It’s like they wanted us to escape.”

                Ling only gave a thoughtful smile before following him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another AU I need to finish up the notes for and post on my tumblr.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another for the EHSA AU. But this time, with Time Travel!!
> 
> This is actually from a much longer fic about Ed from 1925 getting tossed back to 1914 and various things happening. There's a passing mention of an OC named Elanore who is Future!Ed's TA/research assistant that got to go Time Traveling with him, but she doesn't factor in to this chapter.

                Honestly Ed found time travel to be more of an annoyance than a problem. And if that said something about his life, he wondered what it meant that his younger self had been very accepting of this situation. Mostly.

                Not that he had to deal with his younger self at the moment. The younger Ed and Alphonse had gone in to Mustang’s office to discuss other things.

                After they had left, Winry went out too. She’d said something about spending the day with Gracia and Elicia. Ed had debated about going with her, taking the opportunity to see Elicia back when she was tiny and adorable and far less prone to sassing him. But, well, the fewer people who knew about the whole time travel thing the better.

                Which left him and Elanore in the hotel room with Ling and Lan Fan. Though, currently, Elanore was in the shower and Lan Fan had… disappeared. He forgot that she used to do that. Disappear and watch from the shadows. Wait for him to say something snarky to Ling before throwing a knife at him. 

                Ed was still on the couch, scribbling in a notebook. While he knew that someone would eventually figure out where he went and come get him back, he couldn’t just sit there and wait for it. Trying to remember all their research was difficult, but considering their original research materials were either non-existent, inaccessible, or very uncooperative in this timeline, it was all he had.

                Looking up, he watched Ling for a moment. It was strange seeing him like this. Well, it was strange seeing everyone looking ten years younger. But still.

                He watched Ling’s expression. The thoughtful frown, fidigiting, any moment he was probably going to start pacing.

                “You okay?” Ed asked.

                “Yeah,” Ling replied.

                Ed knew that was a lie, of course. Every instinct in him was telling him to help, to get up from the couch and hold him close. Soft whispers and softer kisses until he talked about what bothered him.

                He didn’t, of course. Because this version of Ling wasn’t the one he knew. Partner for ten years, Husband for seven of that. This is just the boy who would one day become that man, but he wasn’t there. Not yet.

                “Seriously,” Ed said. “I’m guessing whatever’s bugging you has to do with me, so just say it.”

                “I...” Ling sighed. “In your future… Are we- Are we happy?”

                He gave an amused smile as he tried to figure out how to properly answer that. Of course he could just say ‘yes’ and leave it at that, but even if this wasn’t ‘his Ling’, he knew Ling well enough to know that wouldn’t help him.

                He found a solution fairly quickly, slipping off his wedding ring. It was fairly simple, just two intertwined gold bands.

                “Here,” Ed said, handing it to him. “Read the inscription.”

                Ling turned the ring over a few times before looking to the inside.

                “’I will face eternity with a smile’,” Ling read.

                “It’s part of a song,” Ed explained, taking the ring back. “I can’t tell you which song. That would be-”

                “Spoilers for the future?” he guessed.

                “Exactly,” he said. "Your ring has the second half of the lyric. ‘I will face eternity with a smile, as long as I can be here with you, my love.’.”

                “That’s… kinda sweet actually,” he said.

                Ed couldn’t help but laugh a little. It was funny to see Ling so easily flustered. This version wasn’t used to hearing someone refer to him like that.

                “You asked if we were happy,” Ed said. “And I think that song sums it up very well. It’s not perfect. Sometimes it gets difficult. But every moment we spend together is worth it.”

                Ling nodded, though it was easy to see how overwhelmed and flustered he was. His face was about the same color as Ed’s old coat.

                “Hey, this is the important part, so pay attention,” Ed said. “Don’t relax just because I said we’re happy in the future. You'll still have to work for that, you know. Once my past self stops being a dumbass.”

                “Not sure if that’ll happen,” Ling said.

                “Hey!” he protested.

                “You accidentally time traveled,” he said. “I think that counts.”

                “Yeah, well, that’s just how my life is,” he said. “Besides, you’re the one who married me, so who’s really the dumbass?”

                Ling sputtered indignantly at that, trying to come up with a retort. Ed only smiled. It was good to see that no matter how much they changed, some things were always the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end for EdLing Week 2k19. It's been a fun ride!


End file.
